Crows, roads and leaves

My mum, Agneta Wikman, has opened up her own etsy shop! I have tried to persuade her to do it for a long time, and yesterday was the day! It's all about this crow with a lot of personality. The crow experiences things that are very typical for people in my family, but they have proved to be very universal :) This is my sister, my dad, me... I'm sure you will find one that reminds you of someone, or reminds you of you. You can buy the crows as postcards or art prints and you should be able to pick as many cards as you like to the same postage cost. There is 19 different motives. The crow above arrived together with a great (x2) cap for my birthday last year. Please take a look at mamma's shop and welcome her by giving her an etsy heart!

I've been working on a theme that has been dear to me since I was about five, I think (I admit having a 20 years break in between). I loved drawing cities with roads and houses and trees and when I do it today I feel I can still somehow connect with the thoughts that little girl had when she was imagining her city. This is the first road cushion I've finished, I have two more on the go. It is in the shop and sold with an insert this time. I am working on some more cushions with a rectangular shape and more "grown-up" themes. Even if I think this linen cushion would look as great on the living room sofa as in the kid's corners.

We've had some really nice sunny, but crisp Autumn days the last two weeks. We went for a walk yesterday and I had to run back home to fetch my camera, the colours were too gorgeous not to document! I hope the sun shines where you are!

And the winners are...

I must say I am quite overwhelmed by the interest in my give away. I got 77! responds to the post, so I have decided to send three little surprise packages to these lucky winners: jacquie, kristin and kristen mary! You will get an e-mail from me very soon!

I would also like to thank all of you for your kind words on my sad post yesterday. Hugs to everyone! I am sorry that I haven't been able to get back to all of you personally on the last posts, I can assure you that I appreciate all comments and read them all!
The shop has been updated with house brooches and the home cushion cover above. I will be making more cushions soon, but I'm waiting for my fills to arrive from the factory. Many customers want to buy a fill for their cushion cover so I thought it best to stock up with some. I want the covers to fit perfectly so I won't start cutting til I have them at hand. The home cushion is supposed to be part of the word series :)

Some of the fairy-angels left from the show have also moved to the shop. Dagny, Hilda and Agda are lying next to me very excited inside their envelopes waiting to fly to their new homes in France and Australia :)

Sad

The fair was a success, I sold well, people were happy and it was not raining. The rain is in my heart today. A friend of mine has passed away. She died from cancer at the age of 31. Her girl just turned three. It is all too sad and unfair. This is how she chose to announce her departure in the paper, I think it's beautiful:

Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away
into the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
that we still are.

Henry Scott Holland

Post 170 and a cushion

This is post 170, I had to check! The 169th post give away is still going on, so scratch down a comment after my previous post if you want to be in the draw for a little something made by me! It is so nice to see that so many people find there way to this blog and take the time to read about my doings! You have time the whole weekend! I will spend my weekend at Aura Street Market, which is a new event here in town, I am crossing my fingers that it will be a success. This town has a lot of events that emphasizes the local history, but we need something to bring us forwards too! I find a lot of inspiration in stuff from old times, I especially love textiles with a history. I decided to study Ethnology at the university much because of my love to old textiles, I was obsessed with knitting at the time. What I didn't understand back then was that I am more interested in creating and finding inspiration in old crafts than preserving and working in a museum. And all this I am telling you just because I wanted to show you this cushion I made for the fair at the museum last week. I used a beautiful thrifted embroidered table cloth (with coffee stains and holes in it) and linen. I think the English version of the expression on the cushion would be: Things used to be so much better... A little self-irony here :) More pics on flickr.

Happy weekend everyone!

Another inspiring trip

I have been away again. We have visited Äppelviken (The Apple Bay), the place where we are going to spend our future Summers. It is also dad's hobby and passion. This is Villa Agnes, built by him on a big stone. The Swiss flag was hanged to greet my sister and her boyfriend when they came over from Switzerland this Summer :) The plan for next Summer is to move an old log house there, which will become our Summer house. My dad bought this piece of land two years ago (or is it three already) and he and mum have worked really hard to make it an oasis for the whole family. They were planning to build a new house, but got the offer to save an old house instead, which thrills the Ethnologist in me, of course :)
This is little e tasting the harvest. The sweetest carrots ever! Which reminded me of a carrot pouch I made a long time ago.
Sunday was spent at the Autumn fair at the outdoor museum Stundars. On the picture I'm posing with Ms Hedgehog, an American quilt blogger who happens to live in Vaasa (the town where my parents live). I was so happy when she showed up, I have been waiting for one of my blog contacts to turn up, we had a very nice chat!

We had the best sunny weather so I very much enjoyed myself chatting away with happy people. I particularly remember a lady in her 60's who stopped at my stand and looked at everything and said that " I wouldn't know what to do with all this stuff, but this is CREATIVITY".
Talking about creativity - on the way home we stopped at Malakta, an amazing place in the countryside some 40 km from the nearest town. A young couple, Maja and Jukka, has created a creative oasis in what used to be a dairy. We arrived in the middle of a cake party (I regret that I didn't take any photos inside), everything looked delicious! There also was an exhibition space and a little shop with new crafts and thrifted goods. I am very happy to announce that my cards are now for sale in this shop!

I was talking about a give away in my last post- here it comes to celebrate post 166, or was 167! Just leave a comment on this post and you will be in the draw for a little something made by me!

Kitschy flowers and houses in line

I was going to talk about my trip to Åland, but I think I'll just refer you to the photos I have uploaded on flickr. It was a great weekend, lots of work, lots of wonderful people and lots of inspiration. There is nothing like the rush of a new idea and that is what I want to talk about today! My studio is a mess, but what can you do... I went to the thrift store yesterday to find some new materials and spotted a plastic bag with those (horrible) flower wreaths that you put around candles, please tell me what they are called in English! They used them in a project in this book and I thought it was a brilliant idea.

I have been asked to make more mobiles so this is what I came up with (more pics on flickr). The pastels of the flowers gave this shabby kitschy look. I think it turned out pretty fun and I liked working in another colour scheme for a change (I will make bright mobiles too, as soon as I can get my hands on some brighter flowers!). The birds have a layer of steady batting inside, the outlines are sewn with a lot of black thread. I added some beads, bells and buttons too!


This is the project I was working on on the ferry that I promised to show off. I needed something small to sell at the fair next weekend so I came up with these house brooches. The fair is at an outdoor museum so I think these will go nicely with the old miljeu. I used felt scraps that I bought from a lady selling felt slippers at the Christmas fair last year. The windows are made from reflective tape so these are meant to be worn on your bag or coat.

I will not put these in the shop until the two next fairs are over, but you are welcome to reserve one if you think you would need one :) The price is 10 Euros/14,50 USD (+ 22% VAT if you're in the EU), just drop me a line and tell me which one you would like! Click on the picture if you want a better view!

I can't believe it, but Summer seems to be over here. It is rainy and far too cold for this time of year :( The kids were wearing gloves at Kindergarten yesterday! To celebrate this unhappy occasion I am having a little sale on Summer items in my shop!

The window quilt came back home from the exhibition and is now listed in the shop. It is hanging right above my head as I'm writing :)
Thanks for listening! I have been talking so much about me and my projects lately that I think it will be time to give something away in next post. But I talk more about that next week!

Happy sewing (or crocheting, or whatever YOU enjoy doing)!